Daniel e



(NoModeL) 1). OWLING.

FEED MECHANISM FOR ROLLER MILLS; r

No. 289,518. I PatentedDeo. 4,v 1883..

UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL n. BOWLING, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

FEED MECHANISM FOR ROLLER-MILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,518, dated December4, 1883.

' Application filed September 4, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DANIEL E. DOWLING, of

' Brooklyn, inthe county of Kings and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanism for R011-er-Mills, of which the following is a specification.

a The aim of thisinvention is to produce a mill wherein the materialwill be subjected to a con stant and uniform grinding action from oneend of the rolls to the other. i

In the art of milling as carried on at the present day it is the generalcustom to reduce middlings and similar materials-the result of previousreductions of the grainby passing the same between parallel rolls thesurfaces of whichtravelincloseproximity to each other.

, In order to secure a uniform reduction of the in, and the varyingconditions of the atmos-' phere, the material will atone time feed orflow with great freedom, while at othertimes it will have a tendency tobecome compacted and to resist all attempts which maybe made to causeits delivery inthe form of a sheet. The result is that inall millsknowninthe art up to the present day the material is de1iv-- ered from thehopper between the rolls in an irregular or, uneven manner, the deliverybeing more rapid at one time than at another, and the deliveryfrequently ceasing at one pointin the length of the rolls, or at one endof the rolls, while it continues at the opposite end. Inasmuch as therolls are always urged toward each other by means of springs,weights, orequivalent pressure devices adjusted to secure the proper grindingaction when a uniform feed occurs from end to end of the rolls,

" pit followsthat whenever the feed ceases or diminishes at one end ofthe rolls [only, the: rolls will be urged nearer together at that endthan at the other, thus producing a varying ofthe length of the rollscauses the-entire strain of the pressure devices tobe exerted upon acomparatively small surface or upon a comparatively small amount ofmaterial, thus subjecting the same to an excessive Again, adiminishedfeed resulting in a diminished resistance to the rolls, their speed isliable to increase beyond the desired limit, and thus exert an injuriousinfluence upon the material.

It is to avoid all of the above-mentioned difficulties, and secure,nnderall circumstances and conditions which are encountered in practice, ;auniform delivery of the material between the rolls from one end to theother, that my invention is designed.

To this end the invention consists, essentially, in the combination,withtwo grinding-rolls, of a feed-hopper extending from end to end above thesame, a feedroll locatedbeneath the mouth ofthehopper and above thegrinding-rolls, and an agitator located within the hopper, and prolvidedwith teeth or fingers arranged to reciprocate immediately above thesurface'of the feed-roll, and lengthwise thereof. The feedroll receivesa constant forward rotation, so that it tends to deliver the materialthrough the throat or outlet of thehopper,while atthe same time thelongitudinal reciprocating agitator serves to loosen and disintegratethe material and distribute the same in a free con- :dition upon thesurface of the feed-roll in such manner ,that its delivery from thehopper is effected in athin continuous sheet, which is delivered fromthe surface of the feed roll directly to the surface ofthegrinding-rolls thereunder. I

The invention also consists in certain minor features ofconstruotion,wl1ich will be hereinafter explained.

pressure, whereby its quality is impaired.

'above the surface of the feed-roll.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a verticalsection through the upper portion of a grinding-mill having myimprovement applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectionof the same in line with the aXis of the roll.

As regards the construction of the grindingrolls, their arrangement inrelation to each other, and the construction and arrangement of themechanisms by which their adjustment is secured and their rotationeffected, they may be of any usual character, a great number beingfamiliar to all. persons skilled in the art.

Referring to the drawings, A A represent two cooperating grinding-rolls;B, the frame or body of the machine,in which the rolls are mounted; O,the feed-hopper, located at the top of the frame above thegrinding-rolls, and D ahorizontal feed-roll located beneath the mouth oroutlet of the hopper. As shown in the drawings, the feed-roll isconstructed with a smooth or substantially smooth surface, and arrangedso that it may be revolved by suitable gearing, so as to carry its uppersurface outward beneath the feed throat or opening a in the side of thehopper, for the purpose of delivering the material from the hopperthrough said opening, and effecting its discharge directly downwardbetween the grind ing-rolls. The side of the hopper is provided with avertically-movable gate, K, connected to an adjusting-screw, by means ofwhich it may be raised and lowered, so as to diminish the width of thethroat or outlet opening Special care is to be observed in constructingthe parts,

that an unbroken throat or opening shall exof the two.

' T roll.

tend between the edge of the gate and the surface of the feed-roll onthe delivery side only, in order that a continuous or unbroken sheet ofmaterial may escape and be carried outward on the surface of the roll onthat side, while the escape of the material on the opposite side whichlies close to the roll is prevented.

Within the hopper. above the feed-roll and parallel therewith, I mount anon-rotating bar or rod, F, arranged in such manner that it may bereciprocated endwise, or, in other words, in the direction of the axisof the feed- This bar, which may be operated by any suitable means, ispreferably provided with a depending arm, Z, the lower end of whichengages in a sinuous slot in a wheel or hub; J, secured to the journalof the feedroll. This arrangement imparts a reciprocating motion fromthe rotary feed-roll to the bar F, and insures a constant relativemotion The reciprocating bar F is provided with a series of dependingteeth or fingers, the lower ends of which terminate in close proximityto the upper surface of the struct them in pairs by bending elasticwires into a {1 form, and to insert them through holes in the bar F fromthe upper side, and secure them therein by means of a plate, G, appliedabove them and fastened in place by screws or bolts H. This constructionadmits of the teeth which may become broken or bent being readilyremoved and replaced by others.

The essential feature of the invention consists, as before indicated, incombining with two grinding-rolls and immediately above the same thefeed-roll, the hopper, and the agitators moving lengthwise above thefeed-roll. I am aware that a feed-roll has been combined with rotaryagitators above the same, and with agitators arranged to vibrate inplanes transverse to the aXis of the said roll, and also that spiralagitators or screws have been arranged above the surface of a feed-rollin a grinding-mill, and to such combinations I lay no claim. In practiceit has been found that they fail to secure that uniformity of feed whichis attained by the peculiar combination constituting the subject of myinvention.

I am aware that in machines for grading and separating grain, and inmachines for sowing wheat, hoppers have been combined with agitating andfeeding mechanism of various kinds therein; but I am not aware that anyone has hitherto produced an organized roller-mill wherein feedmechanism such as herein described is arranged to deliver the materialin the required condition between the grinding-rolls, from end to endthereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In an organizedgrinding-mill, the combination of two horizontal grinding-rolls, arotary feed-roll extending lengthwise above the same, a hopper locatedabove the feedroll, and having at one side only a feed throat or passageabove said roll, an agitator located within the hopper, and providedwith teeth terminating near the upper surface of the feedroll, andmechanism for reciprocating said agitator in the direction of the axisof said feedroll, whereby the treatment of the material in a continuousuniform sheet between the grinding-rolls is effected.

2. The improved grinding-mill consisting of the two co-operatinghorizontal grinding rolls, the horizontal rotary feed-roll, the hopperhaving on one side an outlet between its lower edge and the uppersurface of the feed roll, the vertically-adjustable gate to control saidoutlet, the feed-bar above the feed-roll, provided with depending teeth,and means, substantially as described, for reciprocating said barlengthwise of the feed-roll, whereby the grinding of the material in acontinuous uniform sheet from end to end of the feed-rolls is insuredand the rate of feed rendered controllable at will.

3. The combination of the two grindingrolls, the feed-roll, the hopper,with an out- 1et at one side of thefroll, the gate, and the toothedagitator centrally located within the agitator-bar centrally locatedWithin the hophopper and extending lengthwise above the 10 per, andprovided with teeth terminating at feed-r011, and mechanism forreciprocating or near the feed-throat, and means for recipsaid agitatorin a lengthwise direction.

5 rocating said bar endwise. DANIEL E. DOWLING.

4. In a grinding-mill, the combination of Witnesses: two grinding-rolls,the feed-r011 above the PATRICK FARRELL, same, a hopper above thefeed-r011, and a ROBERT F. CRAWFORD.

